The pollution levels monitored by Tameside MBC along Market Street Hollingworth and Mottram Moor should be a concern to all residents who live along the A628 and A57, especially those with children at Hollingworth Primary and Nursery School. The figures show the following annual average levels of nitrogen dioxide in Hollingworth:
| Year 2000 | Green Lane: 21 ug/m3 | Market St:46 ug/m3 |
| Year 2007 | Green Lane: 22 ug/m3 | Market St:85 ug/m3 |
The recommended maximum level is 40 ug/m3. A maximum reading on Mottram Moor shows 762 ug/m3! We do not have an accurate maximum reading for the Primary School playground but it would be save to assume it is well above the level deemed to be acceptable.
The problem is even worse when you look at the level of particulates from brake and exhaust emissions. Traffic travelling at 6 miles per hour will emit three times more exhaust particles than when running at 30 miles per hour. The queuing traffic through our villages and the heavy braking of HGVs and other vehicles is therefore causing greater pollution than free flowing traffic.
A study published in February 2007 has established an association between residential exposure to traffic pollution and adverse lung development in children over an eight-year period.
Is it time for parents to buy masks for their children as they go to and from school and to wear in the playground?